Nokia and Reliance Communications announced a “first of its kind partnership in the country,” with the launch of the “India chapter” of the vendor’s Ovi Store. Reliance will apparently be the first operator to offer integrated operator billing, with purchases either deducted from prepaid credit or added to monthly bills.

According to a statement, Reliance believes that “this relationship brings exclusive apps through Ovi Store coupled with a convenient purchase process,” and the partnership will “usher in significant growth in adoption and usage of apps in India.” Among the main benefits are pricing in rupees, and the removal of the need for a credit card to buy products.

Ovi Store has been available in India for some time, and is already seeing more than 4.5 million downloads per week. In addition to apps, it offers other content such as videos and podcasts. Earlier this year, the company added support for Hindi to the store, alongside a number of other updates intended to appeal to mass-market consumers as well as smartphone owners.

Nokia is the largest handset vendor in India, although its market share has collapsed recently in the face of competition from local rivals (Samsung is also strong). Nokia said there are currently more than 30,000 apps available via Ovi Store, with more than 4 million downloads every day.